Fire On The Ice
by NoteEmmy
Summary: AU; Duel Monsters is replaced with ice skating. Kaiba wants to be the best, but how to beat Atem and Yuugi? What's going on behind those stares? And what will Atem do when Yuugi has to leave? They can't possibly work together... can they? M/M
1. Chapter 1

Domino City, Japan had been the home of the three most competitive skaters on the face of the earth. Domino's skaters alone brought home so many gold medals that some were starting to believe the sport originated there. How could it not with the three finest skaters having been born and raised there? Collectively speaking, two of those skaters had always paired together. The first time they were seen on the ice was when they had been very little. Even then, their rhythm was impeccable and their movements were always so twined that sometimes you had trouble believing they weren't the same person in two different bodies.

Mutou- Atem and Yuugi. Maybe related by blood, maybe not. There was little back story on the two of them. They kept their lives very private despite the swirl of press and fans that followed them because of their prestige. Atem had grown into a fine young man, twenty three years of age. He had fiery crimson eyes, a straight stance and a warm smile. Yuugi was the younger and gentler of the two; twenty, a wide violet stare and a cheery grin. Atem's features were sharper, Yuugi's softer. The two worked so well together. They were never seen without one another, and any spare time they had either on the ice or off (and it was usually on) they were seen hand in hand. It was hard to disbelieve that they weren't related given their shared last name and their very weird shared hairstyle. But that didn't stop speculation of their relationship.

Then there was Kaiba Seto. The tall, dashing, but so ice-cold young man that had tasted defeat too many times. Silver was a defeat, he'd been taught. And against the Mutous that's all he'd ever gotten. His moves were precise, strict, and graceful- but not as fluid. Everything had to be perfect for him. Not a skate out of place not a toe over the line. Once he knew a song enough to gather a routine for it, that routine was practiced night and day. Twenty three years old, chilling blue eyes that matched the ice he'd come to loath, and a brunet mop of hair. He didn't have a permanent skating partner. Every single competition he appeared with somebody new. They all, in the end, weren't good enough. He was so very tired of watching his scores hit just mere points below Yuugi's and Atem's. It frustrated him. It angered him.

It was just another national championship. The Olympics were on the horizon again. This didn't determine their spots; it was almost just for fun, at least for the Mutous. As they took their place out on the ice, the crowd hushed completely. As usual, their outfits matched one another's except the slight color difference. All black, flowing and yet somehow so straight and tight. Atem's was touched with finer points of red, Yuugi's violet. Their hands touched briefly as they waited for the start of the music.

Once the first chuff of the skates hit the air along with a gentle melodic brilliance, the world faded away. It was just the ice and them, always. They traded places in and out, moving around each other with such ageless grace that it almost felt like they'd been doing this for three thousand years. Their routine made the audience feel so warm inside it was a wonder they didn't melt the ice itself. When Atem grabbed Yuugi to hold above his head, eyes widened. And when he threw him for a spiral, breaths were stolen. Yuugi was the lighter and smaller of the two; this was their routine, always. And it always worked. It was always flawless. It was fluid and amazing the way they glided around together.

They spun so tightly together eventually they became a whirl of colors. Atem's hands clutched Yuugi's keeping him safe and out of harm's way. He would never let his partner fall. They had complete trust in each other. Even the more dangerous stunts were pulled off with quiet dignity and such an untouched pride; no fear whatsoever. Their look had been described as timeless. It was easy to see why. The way they danced with each other was mesmerizing. Finally the piece drew to a close, dulcet tones harmonizing with the way their skates hit the ice, not the other way around. Atem supported Yuugi as he moved to lay back midair, his own leg extending, staring into each other's eyes with a secret smile.

Thunderous applause broke the hypnotic moment. The two hadn't even realized how hard they were breathing until the lights let up and the world came back in. Atem helped Yuugi up, the two taking a bow, skating around to wave to their fans before exiting the ice. Their trainer met with them as they stepped off the ice and into their booths. All cameras were on them as the numbers were being tallied. Of course the press needed to get their first reactions to the scores. But Atem was fussing slightly over Yuugi, making sure the younger was okay. He was stopped when Yuugi clung to him tightly after the perfect-across-the-board scores were announced. Atem looked up in question, apparently not even having heard them, too caught up in Yuugi. Then he smirked, arrogant but happy all the same. They embraced and the crowd roared.

Kaiba's fists clenched by his sides. There wasn't even any way to beat those two damned clones now. The best he could do was tie and even the prospect of that was unsatisfying. He stole a glance to his partner for this round; a bright eyed Anzu Mazaki. She was good. Kaiba had gotten her life story enough to know how badly she wanted the gold. Wanting it that bad would surely breed success. They matched, enough for fans to be cheering once they entered the ice. Brunet and blue eyed, their outfits white with slight touches of azure. They were not touching as the music started up; an upbeat tempo.

Atem watched on from the sidelines as Kaiba skated. He'd always had some sort of sick fascination with the other skater that he just couldn't put his finger on. It was easy to see, from his point of view, how badly this was going to turn out. Kaiba's distaste and distrust for his partner shone through his moves. He was abrasive and rough with the girl. She, on the other hand, looked tired and nervous. Kaiba must have been training day and night with her. That's how he and Yuugi trained, but when you had a passion and love for the ice it wasn't a job. He traced Kaiba's form with his eyes, willing the brunet to be a little bit more fluid. For all their rivalry on the rink, he really wanted the man to succeed. And he wasn't even sure why.

Something sparked in Kaiba, a feeling he'd never really felt before. There was a bit more ease to his skating once he embraced the feeling instead of pushing it away. Their routine became a little better. Behind the glass Atem smiled to himself. Kaiba's routine was almost all flare, going after dangerous moves to gain higher points. Anzu already knew if she messed up even once her life was over. As the two skaters moved to embrace, Kaiba didn't look at her, and instead for a flash of a second, just a split in time, he imagined a smaller form in his arms. Those blue eyes staring at him from all too naive eyes were a passionate red instead in his mind. The focal point of their routine, another dangerous move that could have easily ended in a trip to the hospital was completed with grace and unity, and an amazing pull off.

When he realized what he'd done, he closed his eyes, blinking the image away. That hadn't just happened. Absolutely not. And it would never happen again. But even Atem was staring wide eyed at it. Kaiba was doing better than usual. Something about his brown haired rival was beautiful tonight. He'd never forget it.

The music stopped abruptly on a crashing final note, their pose tense again. It seemed whatever Kaiba had captured in his routine had fled from him. But did that really matter now? As they parted and exited the ice, Atem and Seto shared a split-second stare at each other. No smirks, no glares, just quiet acceptance for the first time in their lives. It was over once the two blinked in an oddly synced time. Kaiba moved to sit with his skating partner who was gushing and waiting for the scores. Atem's eyes raised upwards, Yuugi's hand slipping into his as they awaited.

Perfect. A perfect score. The two Mutous exchanged confused glances before Atem turned away from Kaiba and Yuugi waved at him instead with a bright smile. He was so happy for them. Atem wasn't sure what to feel. Kaiba wasn't either for just a moment, but in the end his dark mask came down. A tie still wasn't good enough, even if it was as close as he'd come to winning against Atem in his life. He looked up at the skater who was turned away from him and wondered what was on his mind. How did this make him feel?

The two pairs of skaters that had won the gold went out to the ice, followed by the silver and bronze earning teams. They waved to their fans. Atem and Yuugi were happy to accept one gold medal instead of their usual two. It was alright by them, having a tie for the gold in skating had to be just about the rarest thing ever. And they didn't mind sharing. Atem moved to place the medal around Yuugi's neck, a gentle kiss to the younger's forehead and a whisper of "Good job" before taking his hand and bowing to the crowd. Kaiba and Anzu just held the medal together in their hands before departing from the ring.

Back outside the ring, Kaiba was telling Anzu to keep the stupid medal. He didn't need it, even if it would have been his first gold against Atem and Yuugi- but it was still a failure. Tying wasn't winning, and he wanted to win. But she left it with him, knowing how much he probably needed it in the end. It didn't bother her. She was happy for a job well done, even if her partner was a jerk. She could see how much he wanted to win. At least she hadn't lost him that, no matter what he thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Back at the hotel, as per the usual, a party was thrown for the skaters. Any of them could have chosen to go home, this rink wasn't in their home town, but they stayed behind to enjoy the rest of the night. Atem and Yuugi's friends had come out to watch the show, and there was no way they would have let the two slip off into the night. They needed to be congratulated, of course!

Jounouchi had shown up to the table with his girlfriend, Mai. His arms were thrown around Yuugi before giving the smaller a noogie. "You guys did really great!" The blonde exclaimed quite loudly.

"Now if only you two could teach this idiot to be that graceful." Mai teased with a wink.

It sent Jounouchi off into a bruised-pride tangent that left him yelling and huffing for a good ten minutes about how he was so, so graceful. In fact, if he wanted to, he could skate circles around the two. Atem smirked lightly and told him he'd like to see that, taking it as a challenge. Immediately the excuses poured in about how Jounouchi's legs hurt, or he was cold, or who knows what else. The group laughed it off and ordered a round of drinks. Eventually Honda and Shizuka showed up, apologizing for being late but they'd gotten lost on the way back from the rink. It was probably the truth, though Jounouchi eyed down the brunet and challenged him to a few shots.

The lights went lower as the hours passed by, everyone sustaining a good drunk feeling. But it was all harmless and fun in the end. Anzu even managed to wander over to their table, gushing about how well the two ice skaters did. She then went on to say how she'd been big fans of them for quite some time. A pad of paper was produced as she asked for their autographs. The lines were a little squigglier as usual, to which skaters both apologized profusely, but she just giggled it off and said her autograph would just be more special than everyone else's. She was then invited to sit down with them; an invitation she gladly accepted.

Despite the cheer of the evening, Atem was very far inside his mind. He'd never tied before. Was it really still considered winning? The brooding, dark eyed brunet at the end of the bar didn't seem to think so. Atem couldn't help but watch his rival, not even realizing he was being terribly open about it. The more he drank, the harder it became to cover for himself. He was left with a little solace though as Jounouchi and Mai headed for their rooms upstairs. Honda and Shizuka followed suit quickly.

A grin was given to his partner when he noticed Anzu rubbing up against him a few times, sending a few flirts his way. Yuugi seemed rather oblivious to it all, but with some elbow nudging from Atem, he really understood it. The blush on his face was worse than Anzu's. At first he tried to ignore her want to leave, as drunk as he was it was pretty hard. He didn't want to leave Atem there by himself. But Atem interjected, telling Yuugi that it was alright. He wanted his partner to go and have fun. Eventually Yuugi let it go, nodding to Anzu; both of them bowed and then waved as they drunkenly bumped the table and then left together.

It left Atem alone with his thoughts. One of the biggest ones being his question of where Yuugi and Anzu went off for the night. The two of them shared a room. Did that mean that if his skating partner had left to their room, he had to find lodging elsewhere? He certainly wouldn't want to disturb the two. Another shot was downed, barely feeling the burn of it at this point. Last call was shouted, leaving him only an hour to decide what he wanted to do with himself. First off he decided to pick up from the table and go over to the bar. But it wasn't long before his quiet drunken state was bothered.

"Friends abandoned you?" Kaiba's voice filtered through Atem's haze.

Crimson eyes glassed with intoxication turned to look at Seto. "It's not my place to disrupt their fun." He was immensely proud of himself for keeping his voice a calm, respectable level; no tremors or even hint that he was drunk.

But it was all too obvious for Kaiba. He'd been watching Atem, too, the entire night. He'd seen how many shots the shorter man had thrown back. Given his slim weight and his short height, it didn't take a genius to know that Atem was far out of it by now, even if he had a high tolerance. "But it is theirs to leave you without a care?" Perhaps he could get some satisfaction of his own hurting Atem tonight. He was feeling tipsy, definitely not enough to hurt himself or his reputation. He knew when to stop.

Atem's elbows came up onto the bar, his chin rested in his upturned palm. It felt good to have some place to put his head. He felt heavy. "It doesn't bother me." He responded tiredly.

Kaiba snorted, fingers closing in around the glass of whiskey he'd ordered and finishing it. "It will later. Your little shadow was flashing around his room key with that girl when they left." He could only assume they had some big room all to themselves. Yuugi had been drunk too, maybe even worse than Atem. It was no wonder he'd go to somewhere familiar, and somewhere that would also impress his makeshift date.

"Damn." Atem hissed to himself. He had hoped Yuugi would have had the sense to go back to Anzu's room. But in the end he wouldn't hold it against his partner. His hand raised in the air as he called for another shot that was filled instantly.

Blue eyes watched the shorter man curiously. Almost as if he were being challenged himself, he waved for another glass. Once it was filled he took a drink as Atem slid back his shot. "So," He said after blinking back the burn in his throat. "Nowhere to go tonight, then?"

Slender shoulders rose up in a nonchalant shrug. "I can just get another room at the front desk I guess." It wasn't like they were poor, far from it. It was just a hell of a hassle.

"How considerate of your partner to leave you like this." Kaiba snidely replied, the sarcasm almost as cold as his drink. But maybe there was something else in there. Did it really bother him that Yuugi had left Atem here stranded? ...No. Absolutely not. He took another drink from his glass to silence those thoughts, and the reoccurring vision of Atem's form in his arms as they spun around the ice. That had been popping up all too often tonight since the first time.

Atem turned to him, eyes narrowing. "You don't know him." He growled, too drunk to contain his anger.

It amused the brunet. "I know that you're going to have to bumble your way to the lobby where the press is waiting all because of him. They'll know how irresponsible you are; might even label you a drunken sob story for tying for the gold. How pathetic." He was being cruel, but having so much fun trying to dig into Atem's confidence.

He reached up to thread his fingers through his multi-colored hair, bangs sliding up and over before hiding his eyes. "Damn." He said again with a sigh. Kaiba's words hurt, but they were still the truth. The press weren't allowed back in the bars and anywhere near the rooms, so his friends would be safe. But if he really needed to go get another room... Another shot that had been poured without him asking was tossed back, even if that was the worst idea.

"You make your predicament worse." Seto observed, finishing off his glass yet again, and quickly. He didn't even realize it. He was just matching Atem.

"Shut up, Kaiba. I don't need your advice." Another angry respite.

It had the man smirking to himself. This was almost too easy. "No, perhaps what you need is a wake up call. Is this really what my rival amounts to? A drunk loner at the bar? Pathetic." He reiterated the word, hoping to drive something home. A refill of his glass went unnoticed, as did his own downing of it in one swoop. Or maybe he just didn't care. The swirl in his head was feeling better by the second.

"Are you any better?" He hissed before taking another shot. "Brooding about your losses like you do every time you lose- and you always do. At least I still always win." Another shot, matching Kaiba. The lead had been stolen.

This had Kaiba bristling in his chair, standing and making damn sure his spine was straight and he wasn't swaying as he approached Atem. A heavy hand fell to the skater's shoulder. "How _dare_ you." He growled into Atem's ear, pulling him onto his feet.

"How dare I what? It's just the truth." He stumbled a little, only staying on his feet due to Kaiba's grip on his shoulder. "Any newspaper headline in the past ten years will say the same!" He fought back, pushing Kaiba away with as much strength as he could muster.

Kaiba fell back, but pulled Atem with him, staying on his feet despite having to take a few steps back. Both hands braced Atem's upper arms as the two glared at each other. All too easily and quickly he switched positions, throwing Atem up against the wall, and hard. "I won the gold tonight if you forgot." His stare was intense, though glazed, as he moved mere inches away from Atem's face.

"So did I. In the end you're only still matching what I'm capable of after ten years, not beating it." His eyes narrowed, hands clutching Kaiba's shirt in tight fists.

"You're going to get a wakeup call very soon if you keep that haughty arrogance." Seto warned, leaning in further, pushing his weight into Atem, maybe hoping to crush the little bug.

All too quickly he felt like he couldn't breathe. Kaiba was dominating him and he didn't like it. He'd been too drunk to realize the position he'd dropped himself into. If Kaiba really intended to hurt him here, the man might get away with it. His eyes widened, a moment of clarity breaking through his drunk mind, and he pushed Kaiba back.

Seto's hands were quick to pin Atem's above his head, fingers digging into those small wrists. "What are you so scared of all of a sudden?" Kaiba husked, not relenting.

"I'm not scared!" Came the protest as the drink filtered back in to fog his judgment.

Kaiba smirked, leaning down closer, his nose brushing against Atem's. He watched those crimson eyes for the signs of real emotion behind them. "That's good. I don't want a pathetic rival. I want a strong one." His own words had suddenly become slightly slurred, the few glasses of whiskey he'd just drank finally hitting him.

"I'm not pathetic." Atem gasped, feeling Seto's hands slide down his arms.

"Good." Kaiba growled in such a primal, animalistic way. That gasp from the smaller beneath him shook his core. It made him want. It made him need. Something he'd never felt before.

The bartender finally choosing to yell at them and telling them to get out broke the mood, but not for long. Soon Kaiba had that form pushed up against the elevator wall, their lips meeting in a bruising kiss. When their floor came, they only parted for a brief moment to find the right door, Atem having to be led since this was obviously not his room. Once the door was opened and shut, Atem was shoved against it again, a moan filling the otherwise silence of the room as Kaiba's hands found him.

Eventually they moved to the bed, clothes being shed, fingers wandering and drunken gazes lowering. This was a monumental first, and probably a big mistake. But neither of them could bring themselves to care. It felt so good. Atem's hips lifted, Kaiba's hips pushed forward. Eventually they dissolved into a frenzied movement together, Kaiba covering Atem's skin in bruises. Some part of his rational mind, knowing this was a terrible mistake he was making, still wanted to make sure when Atem realized it too, he'd remember. But Atem had the right idea, too. When he could reach Kaiba's shoulders and neck on thrusts upwards, his teeth were quick to sink into that pale skin.

It could have been hours or just a few minutes. Time ceased to exist. But once it was over the both of them were panting, resting in each other's arms, feeling sickly dizzy. Cerulean and crimson eyes closed at about the same time as breathing slowed. They passed out together, not aware of the consequences this would cause, not really caring. For just one moment, nothing else mattered.


	3. Chapter 3

Before Kaiba was even awake, he was quite aware of the pounding in his head. He already felt sick, even unconscious as he was. There was a buzzing in his brain that wouldn't go away. No... not buzzing. Ringing. His ears were ringing. Blue eyes blinked open. The room was dark. The ringing intensified. He realized then that the ringing wasn't in his head, it was from his phone. His hand reached over, picking the damn thing up, but all that answered him was a dial tone. He growled, throwing the phone back on the hook before sitting up. His whole body ached, not uncommon after a day of championship skating. But the ringing hadn't stopped.

He stood, cursing quietly as he had to go halfway across the room to retrieve his phone from his pant's pocket. What his pants were doing crumpled on the floor escaped him at this moment.

"_What?_!" He hissed loudly, raising a hand to his head, hoping to quell the pain.

"First of all, congratulations on the gold last night!" The cheery voice of his younger brother sung in through the ear piece.

He sighed and eased up. Mokuba didn't deserve to be yelled at. "Thanks." He responded dully, sitting back on the bed.

Mokuba laughed. "No problem! But I have some really good news!"

"Oh?" Despite himself he smiled a little. Mokuba always knew how to brighten his day, even if it had just started.

"Mm!" The cheery answer came back. "The committee just called the house! Yuugi and Atem dropped out! That means you're Japan's only team this year!" Anzu hadn't been the partner he'd skated with at the determining nationals, not that it mattered in the end.

But the news struck him hard. At first he was almost explicitly and maliciously happy. What had happened to his little jerky rival that had made him drop out? But then he grew angry. And then the events of last night flashed in. He looked around the room. The only sign that there had been anything going on in here were the knocked over items strewn about the room and Kaiba's clothes on the floor. Atem was nowhere to be seen. "He can't just drop out." Kaiba growled finally. "Why?"

"They didn't say why." Seto could swear he heard his brother shrugging. "But does it really matter?"

"Of course it matters." He tried to keep his temper from leaking into his voice but it was almost impossible. How? How could Atem just drop out like that? Was it because of what they did last night? That was impossible. It couldn't be...

Mokuba sighed. "Well..." There was some typing going on in the background. Obviously his little brother was trying to pull up some information for him. It helped, being the owners of the world's top selling company for skating gear. "Their flight left this morning."

At the term 'this morning' Kaiba looked around the room for his alarm clock. It was nearly one in the afternoon. He sighed, angry, but at himself. How had he let it get this bad?

"But Atem wasn't on it."

"What?"

Another shrug that Kaiba detected through tone. "I don't know why. It just says that Yuugi went on the plane, Atem didn't."

It would be fool to ask Mokuba where Atem was now, and perhaps too hasty on his end. It wasn't as if they had a tracking device on the small skater. So instead, "Thanks. I'll be home as soon as I can."

"You're welcome! See you soon, Nii-sama!"

They both hung up, leaving Kaiba to run his hands through his hair and drop his head. More of last night poured in through the hangover that was nearly blinding him at this point. The gold. He'd won it, but he'd tied for it. Atem at the bar. The confrontation. They'd come up here. ...they'd had sex. How? How had he lost so much control? He glanced around the room again. Atem had left. Kaiba wasn't sure how he felt about being treated like a one-night stand, even if that was definitely for the best. But now this news of them dropping out had come in. He had no idea what to do with it.

More than that, Atem was still somewhere in the city and Yuugi had gone home. What had driven them apart?

He needed to get to the bottom of it. After debating for a minute more, he got up and strode right to the shower. The hot water felt nice on his sore muscles, but he couldn't stop thinking about last night. Atem's form beneath him, writhing, moaning, _begging_. Before he even realized it, a smirk had crawled onto his lips, a shudder down his spine. When he stepped out of the shower, he wiped away the steam from the mirror, narrowing his eyes at the bruises along his collarbones, shoulders and neck. "Damn that little bastard." But he remembered Atem had his own marks, if not worse ones. It didn't make him feel any better, though.

Kaiba threw on a black turtleneck shirt; good for covering up those pesky bruises. After completing getting dressed, he packed his clothes and left the room. Checkout was relatively harmless, and a few yen exchanged got the woman at the front desk to tell him that Yuugi and Atem had checked out together but went their separate ways. No amount of money, however, could make her tell Kaiba what they'd broken up over. He'd asked, she said she didn't know. He believed it.

So that left him in his rental car, sitting in the parking lot of the hotel, hands gripping the wheel tightly. Atem was still in the city. There was only one feasible place he would possibly go. Kaiba knew he was there too, somehow. And after last night he wasn't sure he wanted to go see him. But it had to be done. He needed to know. So he turned his car on, threw it in gear, and roared down the otherwise quiet streets of the city.

Eventually he'd come to the skating dome. He'd been there just last night. There were not many other cars there. He wasn't sure what Atem was driving, so he couldn't be sure that the man was actually here. That didn't stop him from grabbing his skates and entering the building. The fee was waved for him, of course, and he padded out towards the back of the stadium.

There he was.

Kaiba sat down on one of the benches, discarding his boots and sliding on his skates. He was watching Atem glide around the ice very carefully. He could see that the other man was pissed off. He could see it in the tense lines of his skating, the hurried pace of his spins and jumps. What was he so mad about though? The other skaters on the rink had migrated either towards the rest of the benches or to the exact opposite side of the rink. Right now it belonged to Atem and his fury, and no one seemed to want to challenge that.

Not even when the smaller man hit a jump too hard and fell over. Not once in his life had Kaiba seen Atem take a fall on the ice. He didn't even realize it but he'd hurried out onto the ice faster once he'd seen it.

Atem laid there for just a minute, stunned himself that it had happened, but then sat up. He was breathing harshly, hands moving towards his ankle. Not broken, not that it mattered. A pair of skates came up fast, sliding and spreading ice all over him.

"Get up."

That voice was unmistakable. He looked up, sure enough, seeing Kaiba standing there with his arms crossed. "What do you want?" Despite the scathing reprieve, he got to his feet, wincing a little with the pain that had come with falling.

"Why did you drop out of the Olympics?" Despite the sensitive and probably private topic, his voice was loud and echoed throughout the stadium. The other skaters stopped, looking over at the two.

Atem turned his head away. "That's none of your business." And after saying so, he skated away.

Kaiba was quick by his side, matching his pace, not bothering to set something greater. He wanted answers. Badgering Atem would not provide them. "It's not because of-"

"Absolutely not." Atem skidded to a sudden stop, glaring up at Kaiba. "Don't think so high of yourself. There's nothing **you **could have done to make me do this." He remembered last night. He remembered it too well, and was wearing a dark sweater of his own to cover up the marks he was left to remember it by. He'd been so stupid. It was wrong of him to get into bed with his competition- ...even if Kaiba was no longer that. Or maybe it was he that was no longer Kaiba's competition. The roundabout thoughts made him scowl. He skated away again.

Well, at least that solved that. But it wasn't enough. "Then why?"

"It's none of your damn business. Be happy you'll actually win this year because of our absence and move on with your life."

Kaiba's hand shot forward to grab Atem's shoulder, pulling him to a stop. "I would have won anyway." He narrowed his eyes, completely believing of that statement. "But without you it's just another set of loser after loser to beat. _Why_ did you drop out?" Even if they were rivals, he would concede to the fact that Atem was a damn good rival for him to have. Without Atem at the Olympics, none of it was worth it. The victory would be useless to him.

Atem slapped Kaiba's arm away, just as tense and riled up. "Yuugi has to go home."

"The Olympics aren't until next year."

Crimson eyes rolled in absolute disdain. "Obviously. But he'll be gone for the year. We promised that if we couldn't practice our routine for the entire year, we wouldn't go through with it." Despite their grace, their fluid and timeless partnership, they worked just as hard as anyone. They would either give their best and their all or they would not go at all and disgrace the game.

It was admirable. Kaiba's hand lowered to his side as he regarded his rival. He realized Atem's pride must have been wounded, not only from this latest turn of events, but because last night must have been making worse. He found himself at a loss for words. "Find someone else." Then those came along.

"Never." Atem gruffed. "Yuugi is my partner, always."

"You think he really wants you to miss out because of him?" Kaiba wouldn't believe that. That kid was sugar coated, so sweet his smile gave you cavities. Yuugi was too caring for his own good. Seto knew that Yuugi wouldn't exclude Atem from the games on selfish reason.

His eyes lowered and he shook his head slowly. "Of course not." Yuugi had pleaded with Atem after getting the news about his grandfather's declining health- find someone else. But Atem had told him no. Never. "But it doesn't matter anyway. We won as a team. I can't enter the competition with another person. The committee wouldn't allow it. And I don't do singles skating." Obviously Atem had thought about all his options and denied each one.

"You say that like they can't be bought off just like any other business." Kaiba's remark was feral, just like the smirk he was wearing.

"It's a disgrace to the game, and unfair to the other players who have worked hard to get there." He wouldn't do it. He wouldn't even consider it.

The man not going was not okay with Kaiba. The mere thought made him sick. The game was worth absolutely nothing to him if Atem was not there. The gold, the ice, the skating- none of it mattered. His hand found Atem's shoulder, pushing him against the wall of the rink, causing Atem to stick his toe picks hard into the ice to keep himself from falling over. "Skate with me." Kaiba offered without a second thought.

Atem scoffed, hard. "No."

"Why not?"

"Many reasons." He started. "Our dynamics are too different. We're both used to dominant skating roles. I dislike you. You hate me. We've never skated together before. Even a whole year's worth of time would not be enough to get a routine together."

Kaiba pressed down on Atem's shoulder, making him wobble on his skates. "I think it is."

"Forget it."

Cold blue eyes glared down. "You will leave your title? You will give up the gold? You will run away like a coward?" He hissed.

"I'm not a coward!" He fought back. Something about this was so similar to last night's drunken mistake.

"Come back home with me. I'll call the committee. You'll take my partner's place. We will work day and night to get our routine for next year."

Atem's lips parted to give way to another negative answer but Kaiba cut him off.

"Or you can go home like a coward and a loser and never skate at the Olympics, or any other game, again."

Crimson met blue in such a heated stare. He wasn't sure if it was one of hatred. He couldn't even really say how a routine between such vicious rivals would even work out. But Kaiba was calling him on everything. Walking away from such a challenge would make him a coward. He would find a way to make this work, for his pride and for Yuugi's, no matter how much he disliked this man holding him against the wall. No matter how much he secretly wanted this man whom he'd screamed for last night.

"You are mistaken, Kaiba." Atem said finally with a smirk. "It is you who will be taking the place of _my_ partner. Even though you could never fill his skates."


	4. Chapter 4

"Skating with Kaiba-kun?" Yuugi's confused voice sounded over Atem's cell phone.

He winced. "I know, I know it sounds ridiculous. I'm probably not even going-"

"No! I think it's great!" He sounded really happy. "I want you to skate. I want you to be happy. I think it's a good idea." Despite their rivalry and how much potential hate the two had between them, of course. Yuugi never saw Atem make that many friends, he never hung out with a lot of people. Kaiba and Atem might have gotten along well together, given the chance. He didn't feel it as being replaced; he knew Atem would never do that to him. So he tried to calm Atem's mind and make sure his oldest friend and partner knew he felt only the best about this.

Eventually Atem eased, Yuugi convincing him somewhat. At least about the fact that he wasn't angry or sad. No one could convince him this was a good idea. He didn't even know why he was doing it. Pride alone, perhaps. Kaiba had challenged him. How could he back down?

"Hurry up or be left behind." Kaiba called from the terminal gate.

Atem sighed. "I have to go. I'll call you when we touch down."

"Alright! I'll talk to you then! Love you!"

A small smile broke out on his lips. "Love you too, Yuugi."

His phone was placed back in his pocket, tickets flashed as he followed Kaiba through the gate and down the walkway. He'd had to get new tickets thanks to his staying behind to clear his head. But he would have had to anyway. Getting ones that matched Kaiba's flight was just strategic planning. They had to spend a lot of time together now. He'd just have to get used to it.

It was no surprise Kaiba flew first class only, though Atem could have sworn the brunet was grumbling something about wanting to fly on his own. Atem wasn't aware that Kaiba had a pilot's license, but maybe he'd misheard. His bag was already checked and he had no carry on, so once he got into the first class seating (where it seemed like only he and Kaiba were sitting) he took a seat by the window and sighed. His phone was checked one last time before he turned it off. Kaiba sat across from him, pulling his laptop open.

"They're going to tell you to turn that off." Atem warned.

"No they won't." Kaiba dismissed.

The usual talk about the plane and all its safety features went over pretty quickly, Atem zoning most of it out. He'd been on so many planes now that he could rehearse the speech to himself in his sleep. It was all boring to him now. And he had a lot more on his mind than what would happen if the plane went down. Maybe it would be a blessing in disguise. Then at least he wouldn't have to keep his word about skating with Kaiba.

"We're going to have a strict schedule." Kaiba spoke up again only five minutes after they were in the air. His typing had been zoned out too, but he'd been doing it since he'd sat down.

Atem looked over at him. "I know how it works. Don't talk to me like this is my first championship."

"You don't know how it works with me, and you will need to. We will need to work together."

Kaiba's remarks of the obvious were annoying. How much of this would he have to put up with? A year's worth apparently. Backing out looked like a sweeter option by the second. He grit his teeth, swallowing his anger for now. "So what's the schedule?"

"First we will need to find a song, then we will rough draft a routine. Then we will be on the ice every single day from sun-up to sun-down. There will be times allotted for breakfast, lunch, dinner and sleep. Nothing else is to disturb us."

"You can't just-"

"We do not work well together, yet. It will take us at least half the year to get used to each other. While the both of us are good at what we do, we might not be that way together. We need to work hard to make this go right." Kaiba finished, closing his laptop, staring at Atem calmly.

It was all business, it seemed. Ice skating was about heart and passion. But Kaiba had a point nonetheless. They disliked each other. And their dynamics couldn't be more different. It really would be a challenge to make it all flow seamlessly. But it was a challenge Atem suddenly found himself up to. If Kaiba could do it, so could he. So, giving him a serious look, he nodded. "Fine."

Now Kaiba smirked, just a little. "Good. You will call your friends once we land and let them know that for the next year, you are mine. They are not to bother you, come near you, or distract you in any way. You will stay with my brother and I at the mansion. Is that clear?"

"Listen, you can't just take my life and make it how you want it to be. I'm agreeing to work with you, but I'll do it on my own terms."

Seto's fingers knit together as he leaned a little. "What I am proposing will only make it easier for you. I have my own private rink. That is where we will be skating. It will take less effort for you to wake up and go into the back yard than for you to wake up an hour early and drive to the mansion. Don't argue with me about this."

"But my personal freedoms-"

"What do you want, Atem? To win the gold or to disappoint the friends you'll be leaving for the year?" What kind of game was Atem playing? Did he really not understand how serious this all was? It made Kaiba taste utter disgust in his mouth. How could he be so dense? "If they care enough, they'll understand." Kaiba never had to deal with petty nuisances like that and he was very glad for it. Mokuba was always at his side, but when he wasn't, his younger brother understood why that had to be.

He strayed, eyes looking out the window. Why did Kaiba have to be a jerk _and_ right? It stung. How many more times was he going to have to swallow his pride in order to compete with it? "I'm not promising to give up everything to you." Atem said finally, looking back at Kaiba calmly. "But I am promising I will do my best and I will follow your silly schedule. Don't you worry about how I get it done, just that I will."

Kaiba rolled his eyes, looking away, but nodding anyway. "Accepted."

The rest of their flight was filled with amicable silence. Neither of them had anything to talk about, neither of them wanted to talk, and that was fine with the both of them. Atem stared out the window for the rest of the trip before resting lightly against it, eyes heavy. Finally he let them come to a close, dozing lightly. Kaiba only looked up once when he recognized Atem's breathing growing heavier, peering over the top of his computer. The sight of Atem sleeping didn't really do much for him. Though the slipping of the neck of his sweater, exposing those bruises along his neck did get Seto to smirk a little.

Other than that, he took Atem's sleeping as a good thing. It was less interruption the shorter could impose upon him as he worked. He had to make sure the company was doing well. After that was over he started refining the schedule he was setting out for the two of them. It was a few days less than a year towards the Olympics. Less time they had, but he would work Atem hard until they got something perfect. They would win the gold together and then next year be opponents again. Kaiba would beat him then.

But for now, this was the most important thing. He would not let this fail.


	5. Chapter 5

It was ten P.M. when their plane had landed that night. Atem had woken up only a half hour after falling asleep. Kaiba had been busy on his laptop, as usual it seemed, so there had been no conversation between them. But the champion skater used the time in the cabin to try and get a feel for what it was like to spend time with Seto. He'd really have to get used to it, and fast, with the way things were going. There was a lot to appreciate about Kaiba's presence; the man was a very hard worker. He was quiet when he wanted to be, or maybe when he had to be, precise and timely. For only a few more moments Atem watched Kaiba before turning his attentions back towards the window.

Once they had left the plane together, they had to go down to baggage claim. The two were still stuck in a calm silence, but neither seemed to mind. They walked side by side, trying to ignore the swarm of press and fans that followed them wherever they went. Now that they were going somewhere together, that swarm seemed three times more than usual. Kaiba had some people waiting for him downstairs. One man in a black suit wearing sunglasses approached first. He handed Kaiba an envelope full of papers. The two exchanged words before the man was given an order and he scurried off.

It was then that Kaiba's younger brother ran to him, hugging him around the waist and refusing to let go for a long time. Atem couldn't help the smile that came over him. Their bags were collected, Atem only having a small suitcase. He then went outside to hail a cab. A hand fell on his shoulder.

"Here." Seto slipped him the folder that had been given to him by the other man.

Atem reached up to take it. "What's this?"

"The schedule is printed out for you, directions to the mansion, and an ID badge." With that he took his hand off of Atem's shoulder. They'd been in close contact recently, by the brunet's choosing, but it wasn't because he enjoyed it- they needed to get very used to one another. He'd have to push that forward as much as he could.

His fingers skimmed along the items inside the folder before shutting it. "Alright then."

Kaiba nodded at him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Atem only nodded before stepping inside the cab. His destination was not directly home, but to the Domino hospital. Kaiba didn't need to know that, though. As he rode there, he opened up the folder again, giving it a more thorough look over. The schedule clearly stated for him to be at the mansion by five the next morning. Raising his wrist upwards, he pressed a button to turn the light in his watch on. It was eleven o'clock now. A sigh escaped him. The ID badge had a serial number on it, along with a barcode, his name and his picture. Atem couldn't say where Kaiba had gotten that (though there were millions of pictures of him on the internet). But this must have been what he was doing on the plane. He'd have to flash that badge at the gate to even be able to get in.

Once the taxi stopped, he told the driver to wait and paid extra to make sure that he did. Visiting hours were over, he was told, but he was excused as a member of the family and led up towards the room Yuugi's grandfather was being kept in. The minute Yuugi saw Atem standing in the doorway, the younger rushed from his chair to hug him much the same way Atem had witnessed Mokuba hugging Seto. They embraced for a while before parting. It seemed Yuugi's grandfather was asleep at the moment, which was fine with Atem.

The two sat down by the bed, just idly chatting about everything that was going on. His grandfather's prognosis was not very good, the doctors only giving him approximately a year left to live. Yuugi seemed hopeful, though. The topic switched over to Atem's year-long adventure about to start. Not much was exchanged in the way of information, just a lot of complaints.

"Family over skating, alright?" He'd said after a time. "Whatever I'm doing, wherever I am, you are more important. You have my number." He needed to stress this, not only because it was true, but because without being told, even knowing, Yuugi would try and ignore it. The kid was too good. But to it Yuugi simply smiled, hugging Atem yet again.

They parted not long after that; the ride home quick and painless. It was twelve when Atem finally reached his apartment and laid his head down on his pillow. Tomorrow was going to be a long day, and Gods willing, he was only about to get four hours of sleep. The alarm clock was set and he closed his eyes, just trying to quiet his mind of all the trepidation and worry creeping around. It was a half an hour before he finally managed to fall asleep, clutching his covers tightly to his chest.

* * *

**MONTH I **

At four on the dot the clock began ringing loudly. In his sleepy state, Atem rolled over to hit it with the back of his hand, silencing it. The bed was so warm and he was so tired that he actually began drifting off again. Something tugging his consciousness finally managed to get him awake. He sat up, rubbing his eyes, reading the clock as 4:15. A curse left him as he hurried from the bed and into the shower. The warm water did nothing in the way of helping him wake up, only relaxing him further.

The rush to get his clothes on and leave, come back for that ID badge and his skates, and then leave again did help wake him up a little. The chill of the air was intense as he stepped outside the apartment complex and into his car. Luckily he pulled up to the mansion at five on the dot (with the help of going twenty over the speed limit). The badge was flashed to the scanner at the gate; the doors swinging wide open to let his car in before shutting quite loudly. He pulled up to the house, someone waiting outside for him already.

"Good morning, Mutou-san. I will take your car. Seto-sama is waiting for you in the top office. If you take the stairs and to the right, you will find him."

"Ah- ... thanks." The keys were exchanged as he entered the house.

The mansion was bigger and grander than even he'd imagined, not that he had imagined so much of it in his spare time. He couldn't fathom what Kaiba and his little brother needed all of this space for. Maybe it had been an inheritance? Either way, he moved into the home, the air cool and almost unwelcoming. Something about the place had him on his guard. The stairs were just to his left in the foyer, and there were a lot of them to climb. Once he was at the top floor he took a right, one room open, casting a pale light out into the dark hallway.

Even though it was obvious Kaiba was waiting for him, he knocked on the open door before stepping into the room and looking around.

"Good morning."

"Hn." Kaiba dismissed, looking up from his spot at his desk. There was paperwork strewn around in front of him, and it almost looked as if he hadn't slept at all last night. "You're late."

"I was here at five." Atem assured, stepping further into the office, coming to a step just in front of the desk.

Kaiba finally looked up at him, stare disapproving as always. "It's ten minutes after five. I asked you to be here at five." When he saw Atem about to respond he continued. "_Here_ at five. In my office. Not at the gates." He wouldn't tolerate laziness and lateness, although the real reason he was pushing so hard about this was so that he could get Atem to see the hassle he was putting himself through by not staying. Kaiba still wanted very much for Atem to accept his invitation on that.

He stood, stretching before nodding towards the door. "Shut that." To which Atem rolled his eyes before walking away and shutting the door to the office. A remote was raised, the wall in the back flipping over to reveal a large TV screen and a set of large speakers. There were a pair of speakers in all four corners of the room attached to the ceiling as well.

"...impressive." Atem conceded, watching all the goings on.

Kaiba stifled a smirk. It didn't matter to him if Atem was impressed or not, of course. He simply nodded before leaning against the edge of the desk, one arm tucked over his abdomen, the other raised still with remote in hand. "Picking a song is the beginning to all of this. The sooner we do that, the sooner we can move on."

"Obviously." Was the only answer Atem could think to give as he moved to sit down in the chair just in front of Kaiba.

Seto let the rude remark go, for now. "Then let's get started."

The two men couldn't have had a bigger difference in the taste of music. It was a good thing Kaiba had access to millions upon millions of songs; a terrible thing that no matter how many they listened to they just couldn't agree on a single one. Atem's songs were warm, slow tempo-ed at first and picking up speed. Kaiba's songs were quick the whole way through and cold. Lyrics were out of the question, there was no way they could see eye to eye on any kind of symbolism (which Kaiba labeled as crap just to make money anyway).

At the five hour mark they eventually started to come a little more together, picking songs the both of them liked at the openings. But then things dissolved quickly again. Once these songs hit the middle and end, there was no way they kept on agreeing. There was bickering, arguing, shouting and huffing. The two paced at different times, not being able to sit still any longer. Tensions were extremely high. Atem found himself unwilling, Kaiba much the same way. But the office door stayed locked and they kept browsing.

An agonizing five hours passed after that, bringing their tally for the first day up to ten. Atem had taken to leaning against the far wall, arms crossed tightly over his chest. Kaiba was standing straight as a pin, glaring up a storm. But finally, finally the two looked at each other again without complete hate in their stares as another song opened. They continued staring as the song pulled on, waiting for either to break and start yelling or scoffing. But neither of them would.

The song was five minutes on the dot, enough for a long program (and some kind of sick ironic at that with the double five hours they were aware of). Finally, when it closed in a fiery cadence of strings, both were quiet at first. They just continued on staring.

"Well?" Atem finally asked.

"Well what? Either you like it or you don't. Say so so we can move on."

"Do you like it?"

This roundabout questioning was pissing Kaiba off all the more. "It is acceptable, yes."

"I thought so too."

Finally. The two breathed a simultaneous sigh from their lungs as Kaiba moved over to his desk to draw up the song and begin formulating plans. Atem raised his hand to get a look at the time. Three o'clock in the afternoon already. Without all the tense feeling in the room, he suddenly felt very lightheaded. Moving away from the wall, his hand came out to keep himself steady. Kaiba didn't look up once. Their agreed upon song was pulled from the library and put into a special folder on the desktop. Only then did he look at the time and stand.

"We can break for lunch now." Not that he was interested in doing so, but keeping from it any longer would be stupid. He stood, moving by Atem and was drawn into shock when the shorter man practically collapsed. His arms were quick to pick the smaller up, giving him an odd look. "What's the matter with you?"

Atem shook his head, hand going to Kaiba's shoulder automatically. "Nothing- my blood sugar is low. I haven't eaten in almost two days."

"What? What the hell is the matter with you?" The brunet found himself suddenly angry and left with no explanation as to why that was.

He didn't even have the strength for a glare, focusing his energies on keeping himself upright so he didn't have to lean his head against Kaiba's shoulder. That would truly be embarrassing and unacceptable. "I didn't have any time yesterday with the news and running into you again. And I went to bed when I got home."

Not that Atem went straight home and Kaiba was actually aware of this fact. But now that he remembered it, Atem hadn't eaten at the airport, having been too busy yapping on the phone with his shadow, and he hadn't eaten anything on the plane either. "This better not be commonplace behavior." He growled.

"It's not. I'm not stupid." Skaters needed to keep up their strength, obviously. He'd been doing this so long that there was no way he didn't understand that by now.

Kaiba just scowled. "You could have fooled me."

He moved to set Atem back down on his feet. The sooner they got some food, the sooner Atem would be feeling better, the sooner they could move on to rough draft their routine. A thought struck him, though, and he stopped in his placing of the shorter man. Instead he moved to pick Atem up higher, placing his hand on the back of Atem's thighs, and his other in between Atem's shoulder blades. He was quick in doing this, raising the shorter above his head, testing out the weight. It wasn't all that bad, maybe a few pounds heavier than his usual female counterparts. But all in all very manageable.

Atem on the other hand was paling, not quite sure what the hell Kaiba was doing. But he realized quickly that if he struggled he could have a serious fall to the ground. "Put me down!" It didn't stop him from shouting.

"Not bad." Kaiba remarked, mostly to himself, placing Atem down finally.

The shorter skater bristled, glaring up a storm. "What do you think you're doing?"

Now Kaiba smirked. "Well I thought I'd get used to your specifics now. Having to get used to it out on the ice could be trouble."

Crimson eyes widened. "No. No way. I'm not-"

"Don't be an idiot. Our heights are so different that if you even tried to lift me off the ice we'd both take a tumble. Don't tell me you tried to fool yourself into thinking you were going to be the dominant partner." At that Seto really did laugh.

Atem stepped forward, pushing Kaiba's chest with his hand. "Are you calling me weak?" He hissed.

Kaiba rolled his eyes. "It has nothing to do with strength, Atem. You can't honestly say that you think with the difference between us you could really get away with what you do with Yuugi with me. There's no way."

The shorter man only grew angrier. "Forget it. Forget it Kaiba! I'm not doing this! I quit!"

Now Kaiba mirrored that anger, grasping Atem's shoulder in a bruising grip. "What's the matter? Are you saying that Yuugi's part in your act is less than yours? That he doesn't have to work as hard? That his part is demeaning?"

"No, I-"

"This is the way it's going to be and that's the end of it. If you back out now because of that what else are we left to assume? I'm sure Yuugi would like to hear how highly you think of his part in your routine." He stared Atem down the whole way. There was no way he was going to let Atem leave over something like this.

Atem was glaring back, however. "Yuugi's part in our act is just as important as mine. But the thing about that is, we trust each other. I don't trust you at all. I'm never going to be comfortable with you throwing me around the ice. It's not going to work."

"It's going to work because I say it's going to work. Get over yourself. There's no reason for me to sabotage you or our act. Grow a backbone and move on."

The smaller man moved back against the wall again feeling small and cornered. Kaiba was essentially right, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't believe that he'd just stomped around like a child and screamed he was going to quit. But Seto being right about it didn't make it okay. He didn't want to do this. He wasn't fit for that role. He was a dominant. There was no changing that. But with Kaiba's height... He raised a hand to his head, closing his eyes. "I need food."

Kaiba just smirked softly. "Let's go, then. Stop wasting time."

Atem hated this man more than anything right now.


	6. Chapter 6

**MONTH I DAY IV **

The last two days had been just as tiring and grating as the first. Having the song picked out had been the least of their worries. When it came to formulating a routine to it, they still couldn't agree on anything- even the method in which they should pull it together. Atem wanted to go out on the ice, have the song play and just find something that worked. Let the music flow through him and dance to it, as he was meant to. Kaiba wanted a literal rough draft, pulling up worksheets and pads of paper and sketching out what he thought would look the best in terms of the beat.

Atem had conceded to do it his way this once, thinking that if he could picture an ice rink in his head, he could at least imagine himself skating as the song played over and over a hundred times the second day alone. But it didn't work out. When he wanted to do a side by side jump, Kaiba was working on backing the rink; when he wanted to do an Axel, Kaiba wanted to do a Lutz. None of it was working and the two were becoming as frustrated as ever. It only helped slightly that Kaiba had released him at ten instead of twelve at night the past two days. It had given him enough time to get to the hospital and spend time with Yuugi and his grandfather.

Kaiba knew where he was going every night and wasn't exactly sure how to feel about it. It was wasted time in Atem's direction, but as long as the skater showed up every morning at five (and he had since learned from his mistake of being late the first day), what could he really say? Atem was prompt, excusing the first time. Atem was on time and ready to work. He was a very good partner if Kaiba could look passed the fact that no matter what he wanted to do, Atem shot it down. He was a great partner, just that they didn't work well together at all.

As he tucked his pencil behind his ear, he looked up at Atem who had his eyes closed. "Not dozing are you?" Kaiba knew he wasn't. Atem had been doing this a lot. He was visualizing.

"No." The man responded without opening his eyes. "On the crescendo-"

"On the crescendo I am going to pick you up and hurl you across the rink." Kaiba growled, his anger getting the better of him. His female partners never gave him this much trouble. They just did whatever they were told, especially if enough cash was involved. They did whatever he planned and it always worked. Atem didn't want to do anything he wanted to do. Four days in and they were practically nowhere at all.

Atem brought his fingers up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose, trying to quell his distaste. "This isn't working."

"No shit."

Crimson eyes opened, blue eyes stared from across the room. There was silence aside the music that had been playing for hours on end; both skaters barely even noticed it now. "I haven't skated in four days; I'm betting neither have you. We're both on edge. Let's just go out to the rink." He hadn't been to Kaiba's private rink yet. He couldn't imagine what it looked like, but he needed to be on the ice badly. Kaiba could too. He could almost feel it.

But the brunet just scoffed. "What's the point of going out there if we haven't got a routine to practice?" It would just be more wasted time in the end. They didn't need that.

"We've never skated together before. Even if we have a routine, we wouldn't be able to practice it until we get the finer points out of the way." Such as matching their speeds, their jumps, their timing, their stances. Making sure they knew the feel of each other's bodies, hands passing, the weight of their partner, the way they moved. They needed to be on the ice before they could write up a routine together. Maybe that's why nothing would come yet.

For once Seto was quiet. For once he was almost accepting of something Atem was saying; for once Atem wasn't spouting nonsense. It would be a rare moment, he was sure. "Fine. Let's go."

The taller skater stood, Atem following suit. Both of them picked up their skates, holding them close as they walked side by side out of the office and down the stairs. Atem was following Kaiba because he certainly didn't know where they were headed, but he wasn't about to let himself be left behind either. Down the foyer, behind the staircase, a left and to an elevator. Kaiba pressed the down button- the only button available for pressing. A scanner chirped before Kaiba pressed his thumb to it.

The doors opened, both skaters stepped into the small elevator and waited silently on the journey down. It didn't take long, but when the doors opened a fresh blast of chill greeted them. The smell of ice was beautiful. Kaiba's rink was large, larger than Atem would have guessed; definitely bigger than Kaiba would have needed for private practice. Aside that, it looked like a normal ice skating rink; a barrier of wall topped with clear plastic, though the audience seating was missing. Only a few benches in strategic places.

Atem sat on one of them, discarding his boots and slipping on his skates. He was quick to tie the laces tight before stepping out onto the ice.

The first step, then the next. He closed his eyes, gliding out onto the ice, the chill hitting him harder in the face as he propelled himself forward. He opened his arms wide, leaning forward, raising one leg in the air, sailing around the rink for a little while. But soon the chuff of his skates was mirrored by another. Kaiba's long legs did very well for him in catching him up with Atem. No words were passed as the two skaters looked at each other, then skated side by side.

At first they went fast, as fast as the two of them could, just to see their top speeds. Kaiba had more help with his muscled legs to push him forward, but Atem was never far behind. It was almost even, but it was a win as far as Kaiba was concerned. Though if they were competing or why didn't really make any sense to him. Then the two slowed, just skating freely without any reason. They matched their glides along the ice, left foot, right foot; mirroring each other perfectly. It seemed once they were there, it was easy to agree and fall into place next to one another.

"Side by side, toe loop." Kaiba barely whispered over the noise of their skates on the ice. Atem only nodded.

They separated, enough space between them before picking up speed. They both watched each other out of their peripheral vision. They would go on a non-existent count of three, and yet both could hear it clearly in their heads. On the three, both skated a light circle, arms spreading, legs moving in complete synced time. The jump was perfect on both sides, the landing even more so; both extending their back legs and letting the skates glide back with the left over power.

Kaiba was impressed, but wouldn't say so. He hadn't adjusted his timing, but he knew Atem would have had to. To get a side by side landing so perfectly after only twenty minutes simply of skating side by side was impressive. Atem was worthy to be his partner.

"How comfortable are you with a death spiral?" Kaiba asked, both of them falling into a steady rhythm alongside one another again, just skating.

"Yuugi and I have done tons before." So in essence, yes, he was extremely comfortable with them despite the naming and how dangerous they could be should one thing go wrong.

"But you won't be in the first position anymore." Kaiba would never have been able to give up control like Atem was going to have to. So he realized how important it was for Atem to trust him. Trust between skating partners was the only way to make a routine work. Side by side jumps were easy when it was your own life in your hands. But when Kaiba was spinning Atem around on the ice by one hand laid back on his skates, how well would Atem fare?

His shoulders dropped as he looked down at the ice. Could he do this? Could he really just give his complete trust to Kaiba? No. Not right away. But they had a while to get used to it. So he offered his hand out. "Let's see."

They still had to work the dynamics of their height difference. Kaiba was nearly a foot over Atem. But the brunet nodded, taking Atem's hand in his and leading him around the ice. He wasn't going to attempt a spiral so early in the game, but it helped to go underhanded and back, skating backwards crisscross and leading Atem in a twirl. He got a very good feel for Atem's movements skating so close, holding his hand. Eventually Atem's other hand raised to Seto's, his back pressed against the brunet's abdomen as they skated very closely together.

Any sort of screw-ups or timing mishaps could have their skates clashing together. They could easily fall forward and break their necks. But the two worked quietly together in an almost weirdly sort of perfect harmony.

Atem raised his leg up, pulling his skate up and in close to the back of his head with his hand clutching the back. Kaiba took his other hand, leading him around the ice this way for a few moments before spiraling very gently. It was a good measure of trust Atem was placing in him just then. He would quietly thank his smaller partner for doing it so quickly. The sooner they got this out of the way, the sooner they could perfect the routine they hadn't even started writing. Before Kaiba dropped too low into an actual death spiral Atem let go of his skate and removed his hand.

Not yet. He wasn't ready to have his face so close to the ice with Kaiba's guidance above him. Not yet. But with the way things were going, perhaps soon. Kaiba nodded to him in understanding. It was enough for now.


	7. Chapter 7

**MONTH I DAY XIV**

Kaiba Mokuba was still considered young and naive compared to his brother. Seto held no notions of Mokuba being naive, but that's what came with childhood; Seto wanted Mokuba to live out as much as the younger could of it. It was Mokuba's childhood to have and to hold, and he did whatever he had to to make sure Mokuba was happy. That being said, Mokuba had been privy to life and its harsh ways, a lot more than Kaiba would have liked him to be. But the fact remained that Mokuba had seen a lot in his short few years of life.

Despite this, however, he was not ready for what he was about to see in his brother's office. He'd knocked on the door and when no answer came he'd decided to go in anyway. If Seto was busy, his brother would have probably yelled to be left alone. So Mokuba put his hand on the doorknob, turning the handle and pushing the door open; a plate of food ready for his brother to consume.

He stopped dead in his tracks.

Kaiba was standing stick straight, exerting a lot of strength- Mokuba could see how focused he was on his face and the slight strain. Kaiba's arms were both over his head. His one hand was holding Atem's; Kaiba's bitter skating rival. Their hands were locked, Atem's arm also extended straight, but downwards. Kaiba's other hand was holding Atem's inner-thigh, Atem's legs spread. The two were just there, stuck in that position, both staring intently at each other.

"Nii-sama..." Mokuba called quietly, still watching them with wide eyes.

Kaiba and Atem's eyes darted towards the door, their moment of concentration broken. Immediately Atem wobbled, losing his balance, Kaiba missing the grip by just a second. It was enough time for the shorter skater to come tumbling down on top of the taller, both collapsing in a heap to the floor.

"Get the hell off of me!" The brunet growled loudly.

"This is your variation of 'you can trust me'?" The shorter bitingly replied, trying to ignore the pain in his sides and legs.

In the moment Atem was managing to get off of Kaiba, Mokuba rushed over, completely pushing him over again in an effort to make sure his brother was alright. "Nii-sama! Are you hurt?"

Kaiba smirked a little seeing Atem tumble to the floor yet again but directed his attentions at his little brother. "I'm fine, Mokuba." A soft pat to the younger's head to reassure him.

"I brought you some dinner."

Atem sat up, rubbing his wrist lightly. "I'm going home." He growled darkly. It might have been the bruised pride or the bruised skin, but he was suddenly in a terrible mood.

The point of the exercise wasn't beyond the smaller skater. They'd been doing this for three days now. Atem had to be used to being picked up by Kaiba, had to be used to holding his own weight in the air. The role Yuugi played in their routines became much more appreciated so quickly lately. Atem had to learn how to balance and hold himself in just the right ways to avoid throwing Kaiba off balance. Kaiba in turn had to learn how to hold Atem's weight and get used to it, and get used to touching the other as well. That had led to some problems early on but it was nothing they couldn't overcome.

Now he'd dropped Atem for the first time, and Atem was pretty sore about it. This would be ten times worse out on the ice. They'd be moving constantly and one trip could easily ruin both their lives. Whatever trust he'd built up was suddenly diminishing.

"You don't quit just because you fall. You get back up." Kaiba said darkly, taking his own advice and standing. His eyes strayed to the wrist Atem was cradling, however. He didn't feel too bad about what had just happened, it hadn't been his fault. Atem had broken first. What he was worried about now, though, was that Atem might have sprained his wrist. That would set them back too far.

Atem stood, still holding his wrist close to him. "It's ten o'clock. I'm going home." He said without any note of emotion in his voice.

"You will be here tomorrow." Kaiba declared, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, yeah." Atem said before leaving the room.

The tension hadn't left with the shorter, though. Now Kaiba was dealing with his younger brother staring up at him with those big eyes of his. He broke a little, softening just a bit. "What's the matter?"

Mokuba kicked at the carpet shyly. "I don't know." He had known what his brother was up to. Of course Kaiba had told him about the Olympics switch up and the fact that he'd be skating with Atem. But he had stayed out of it as far as that went. He hadn't had any desire to see the smarmy skater in their house, much less did he understand how his older brother had the patience to put up with the jerk.

"Mokuba..." Seto placed his hand on the younger's shoulder.

The little brother looked up. "I don't know, it just... I've seen you do routines all the time. But seeing you with him- with a guy... I don't know. It was weird." It made him feel weird inside for a reason he couldn't explain.

Kaiba thought he understood all too well. "Listen, Mokuba, it's just skating. There's nothing going on there that you need to know about." That one night stand had turned out to be just that. The two didn't have any left over affection, not that there had been any to start with. It had just been dirty, drunken hate-sex. Kaiba still had some scratches healing on his back that he hadn't even noticed the first time. That didn't matter. Mokuba didn't need to know about it, especially not if he was already weirded out by a simple skating hold between two men.

"I know." Mokuba smiled. "If there was you'd tell me. Nii-sama always trusts me." With that he wrapped his arms around Kaiba's waist and hugged him tightly.

Seto let go of a very rare smile, placing an arm around Mokuba's shoulders. "Always."

"But maybe..." Mokuba continued, his voice muffled by Kaiba's shirt.

"Hn?" Was something wrong?

Mokuba looked up from his position, still holding on. "Maybe you should talk to him. He seemed pretty angry, and he might be hurt." Not that the little one felt bad for knocking Atem over. ...well, maybe a little. "He shows up on time every day and works really hard." For all that Mokuba disliked the other skater for what he put Seto through; he still had basic human compassion. He could still see what was going on.

It put Kaiba in a tough spot. "...if you think I should." He would never go against his younger brother's wishes.

"...maybe." In turn Mokuba didn't want to make Seto feel like he had to. But he still thought it was a good idea.

The two parted as Kaiba straightened himself out, giving Mokuba a curt nod. After that he strode out of the office, leaving Mokuba alone with the food he'd brought. Kaiba wasn't going as quickly as he could have. If he had the excuse that Atem had gone home, all the better for him. But once he opened the front door just a crack, he could hear the other skater on the other side.

"He's so insufferable!"

Then there was silence. Kaiba peered through the slit in the door he'd created, not sure why he was spying. Atem was talking on the phone, obviously waiting for his car to be pulled around. The hurt wrist was still pulled to his chest.

"I know I shouldn't- ...Yes, but- ... I think it might be time for me to just let it go." Kaiba recognized a real and true note of sorrow in his rival's voice. Still, he couldn't find it within himself to move. He wanted to hear more. "I get at the hospital so late every night. You and grandpa- ... you shouldn't have to be alone." Well that wasn't news, and it was none of Kaiba's business otherwise. He didn't really care what Atem did with his life outside their practices. "Family over skating..."

But that struck Kaiba so hard. So hard he ignored just how much he understood that sentence. For a moment he closed his eyes and thought and Mokuba and their childhood. How he wished he could have believed that statement then. It was more like skating _**for**_ family. But now that he was free he held the same sentiment that Atem seemed to be desperately clinging to.

"I want- ... I know." It was obvious by this point Atem was speaking with Yuugi. The younger seemed to have a knack for cutting the older off. "I just-... no, it's not bad. I don't think it was his fault either. ...Just a bruise, probably. Don't worry." Either Atem was underselling his injury or telling the truth. Kaiba couldn't tell which, and that meant neither could Yuugi. Hm.

"No, it's- ... What? ... Yuugi talk to me! Hello? Yuugi?" Atem waited, standing there, wide eyed, but Kaiba could tell no response would come. "Damn it!" It happened to be his luck that the car was pulled around. Once the seat was vacated, not even having time to thank the driver like usual, he climbed into the car and sped down towards the gates. Once those were open he ripped onto the streets of Domino.

Kaiba backed away from the door. None of this changed anything. He had to believe that. He wasn't in this for mushy sentiments and 'we're more alike than you know'. That was so clichéd it made him want to puke. Something though. Something barely there. A heart he didn't have anymore. He'd heard a shriek of a medical machine on the other end of Atem's phone conversation. Morbidly he wondered for a second if Atem's grandfather had just died. But it was gone after that. It wasn't his business and he didn't care.

Mokuba came down the stairs. "Did you talk to him?"

"He'd already left."


	8. Chapter 8

**MONTH I DAY XV**

That morning Atem walked into Kaiba's office at four thirty in the morning. Kaiba had been awake, of course. It didn't take a lot to notice Atem's pale demeanor, his heavy stance, the bags underneath his eyes and the fact that he was wearing the same clothes as yesterday. His wrist was also sporting a hefty bruise. Blue eyes raised beyond the top of his computer screen. "You're not due for another half hour."

"I'm not sleeping. It was pointless. I'm here. Just count it as extra time we can work."

Kaiba knew then. Atem hadn't gone home from the hospital. He'd left maybe an hour ago, thought about going home and went to the mansion instead. Seto regarded the smaller for a moment longer before witnessing him drop into the chair across from the desk. "You're in no condition to work. You disgrace the both of us by showing up this way."

"I'm not in the mood, Kaiba. Let's start."

The brunet stood from the desk. "Why? So I can put you out on the ice only so you'll fall over and over again? We both know you can't skate like this, much less focus." It really irked Kaiba that Atem couldn't separate the important matters from the useless ones. He wasn't sure if the other skater's grandfather had died last night, but either way, he should have allotted himself time to go home and rest. Showing up like this was useless for the both of them.

"I said let's start damn it!" Atem really couldn't handle himself well after the events of last night. His grandfather had gone into cardiac arrest over the phone. Yuugi had cried before hanging up. Yuugi had been crying when he'd gotten there. They'd managed to save the man, but by how much? How much longer? Yuugi cried the entire time. Atem never left his side. Eventually the younger had cried himself to sleep. Atem had checked the time then, knowing he'd have to go to work soon. Yuugi had tried to tell him it was okay earlier.

Family over skating.

Always.

Kaiba reached out, picking Atem up and holding him up over his head. Atem immediately moved into position but couldn't hold it. The pain in his wrist was too much to ignore and his muscles were too tired. He collapsed, Kaiba pulling him down, one arm in the crook of the smaller's legs, the other around his back for support. "You're pathetic. Do you understand that?"

"If not this we could work on drafting the routine..." Atem protested weakly, trying to get away from Kaiba. He didn't want to be held by him. He didn't need it. He didn't need the brunet.

"I'm not interested in skating with weaklings." Kaiba said after a slip of silence, throwing Atem from his arms.

The shorter stumbled on his feet, clamoring backwards desperately to try and regain his footing. Eventually he found solace in a hard wall behind him. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

Kaiba advanced, his hands gripping down on Atem's shoulders hard. "Is that what you'll do when I throw you on the ice? Flail like a moron?"

He felt so small, weak, and helpless with Kaiba pinning him. But he wouldn't give up. "It'll be different out there."

"You're ridiculous and I'm not putting up with failure. Fifteen days in and you're already falling apart. It's pathetic." His hands tightened down, fingers digging in.

"I'm not falling apart!" He hissed, eyes closing tightly.

"Get out. This was a waste of my time."

Finally confused incarnadine eyes opened to look up at him. "You can't-"

"I am. You're not ready for this. I'm not going to let you drag me down." He leaned in, enunciating each word.

It took only one moment for it to sink into Atem's skull what was going on. He wasn't awake enough to deal with this, his body and emotions were stressed to hell, but it was a good start for him to snap. And snap he did. He bared his fangs in a feral sort of sense, gritting his teeth, hands reaching up to grasp Seto's shirt. "I am ready. And the only person who drags you down is you- constantly. You're never ready for finals. You're always harsh and grating on the ice. You get deducted points for being too stiff, for not having any artistic talent. You fail year after year. Having a born champion will only do you better, not worse. If anyone has any right to call someone a failure, it's me to you!"

These insults Kaiba had been waiting for, and on any other regular day, he would have perhaps punched Atem right in his smug little face. But he was smirking. This was no regular day. Atem still had fight in him, he just didn't know it. Kaiba would not put up with a pathetic partner, but Atem was not pathetic. "You _will_ do better. I will not have a mediocrity for a skating partner."

Atem was so ready for a fight, and suddenly Kaiba wasn't fighting back. Whatever strength he'd gathered left him as he slumped in Kaiba's hold. "What?"

"Whatever problems you're having at home don't matter."

Atem's eyes narrowed. "How do you-"

"My entire staff heard you screaming outside last night about something, it's not hard to figure out." It looked like the smaller was going to retort, but Kaiba cut him off. "It doesn't matter. It also doesn't matter that the press have run a story this morning about your grandfather." Explain away how he knew; even if he'd known before, this was true now. But Kaiba had to watch himself. There was a remark on his lips about how the old man had served his use to society and was better off dying and doing everyone a favor. No, there was no way he could say that, no matter how much he really, really wanted to.

"You need to pull it together, Atem." His grip relented a little, less in the way of hurting the smaller, more in the way of holding him steady. "Yuugi wants you to do this, I'm sure. If your grandfather were coherent I'm sure he'd want you to skate another championship," Before his death, but again, that did not need to be said. Really, the other two didn't even matter. What mattered was what Atem needed to do. Relying on others was a weakness that was all too clear right now. But Kaiba needed to say something to keep Atem sane minded, not piss him off and actually make him want to leave.

The mere thought of that happening... somehow made the brunet feel uncomfortable.

"Accept the invitation to stay and you can go rest. One day off. That's it." And of course Kaiba would find a way to use this to his advantage.

Atem wilted even more, having nothing left to keep him up. It stung his pride terribly that he was now relying on Kaiba to keep him up- but... that was sort of the same thing during skating, right? He'd have to come to terms with relying on Kaiba's strength. Right now it was extremely inappropriate but it was somehow nice. He ignored that; at least he tried to. He wasn't used to this. He didn't have the fortitude to deal with the conflicting emotions, still raw from last night.

Now Seto was asking him to move in. He had to quickly weigh the pros and cons.

**Con- **He'd have to deal with Kaiba's jerky and egotistical behavior on a constant basis, more so than he had to already. **Con-** he felt out of place here. **Con-** He hated Kaiba. **Con-** How on earth to explain it to Yuugi? **Con-** Going to the hospital only to drive back here would be a ridiculous waste of time, energy, and gas.

**Pro-** ...It would give him less to worry about. **Pro-** He could wake up, take a shower and immediately go to work. **Pro-** Kaiba had his own private rink in which he could probably escape to sometimes to skate freely. **Pro-** Kaiba was turning out to be less of a terrible person than he'd initially realized. **Pro- **Working more often meant they'd be able to get the routine down quicker, be able to become accustomed to each other quicker. **Pro- **Kaiba's place was really nice and it was obvious he'd be provided for. **Pro-** ...that sick fascination with Kaiba wasn't leaving, no matter what had just transpired.

"...well?" Kaiba's voice broke the haze in his mind; blue eyes peering intently. Seto had noticed Atem's own eyes fogging over. He didn't know what was going on in that small mind, but he wasn't sure he liked that vacant look. It didn't suit Atem.

"Nn." Atem blinked himself out of it. "Alright. I'll stay."

Kaiba smirked lightly. Of course Atem would. It was what Kaiba had wanted, after all. Kaiba always got what he wanted. "Can you make it to a room on your own or do I have to demonstrate your weakness for you further?"

"I can go just fine on my own!" Still fighting. It seemed Seto had reminded him of himself. It was a good thing, no matter how angry he felt.

Seto stepped back, pleased when Atem seemed to be staying on his feet. "Any one of the rooms, then, just not the two at the end of the hall." Those were his and Mokuba's and not to be touched.

There was a weak nod from the other, though only because he was tired. This was for the best. He just had to keep saying that to himself. For the best. No words were exchanged as he slipped out of the office and wandered down the hall. His hand went to a doorknob, pushing the door open and walking into the open, empty room. The colors were cold and unwelcoming but Atem couldn't find it in himself to care. He collapsed face first onto the bed, arm and leg hanging off the side.

Down for the count.

Only two hours later Kaiba came to make sure he hadn't died, seeing Atem in the same position he'd landed in. He rolled his eyes, shutting the door quietly. "Useless."


	9. Chapter 9

**MONTH I DAY XXIX**

Another two weeks had passed since that morning in the office. Atem had slept for most of the day which had completely thrown both skater's schedules off, but they'd worked three times as hard the next three days. Kaiba wasn't going to tolerate laziness and he let Atem know that right away. The situation at the hospital wasn't getting any better, but it was some sort of sick blessing that it wasn't getting any worse, either. It was just there. But slowly Atem was learning how to push it to the back of his mind and not let it consume him. Kaiba expected a lot of him and he would not disappoint. He was one of the best skaters the world had ever seen. Kaiba would come to respect that in time.

The two living under the same roof was odd, at first. When they weren't working, which was rare but something that had to happen at the end of every day, it seemed like they tried to avoid each other at first. Slowly and progressively they were getting used to seeing each other in the hallways and eating meals together only to walk back to bed together. In separate rooms, of course. The two didn't show any attraction or affection towards one another ever. The only times they were close was when it was required of them to be so.

Right now was one of those times. They'd finally perfected their hold as much as they were going to without the ice. So now they were in the chill of the downstairs rink. Atem was nervous, Kaiba could read it in the lines of his skating, but chose not to speak about it.

_Deep breath. Trust. Trust that he knows what he's doing. Trust that he will not hurt you._ It was all Atem could do to keep telling himself that. Kaiba was used to him by now, and he was used to the dominant role in skating. The brunet should have no problems getting him off the ice and into the air. So it was really just on his shoulders not to screw this up. This would mark the first time he'd do something like this. It was making him anxious as he crisscrossed backwards, skirting awfully close to the wall.

Kaiba still remained quiet. Atem didn't require a pep talk. For all that this was, it would mark how quickly they could move on or how far they were behind in the game now. If this failed here, the least of their worries would be Atem being hurt from it. They'd have to work extra hard. They didn't have the same bond that the rest of the skating partners in the world had with one another. It was very hard to get passed all that. Even if he was quiet and calm, superior to all this nonsense and so very confident, Kaiba could feel it too. He could feel the thick tension in the room, he could feel his heart beating faster than necessary.

Both were at opposite sides of the rink now, a very generous distance apart. They certainly wouldn't be that far apart during any time in their routine, but for now, they were starting in small steps. Atem built up his momentum, Kaiba gliding forward at about half of Atem's strength. Both were intensely focused, watching only each other.

Atem's skates lifted up from the ice as he propelled himself upwards. Kaiba's hands caught his sides just above his hips, raising him up in the air. He let the clashing inertia deter purposefully as he skated backwards, twirling slightly with Atem in his grip lifted high over his head. This would work. Yes, they could do this. This moment was all the evidence they needed.

Then Kaiba decided to show Atem just how much they could accomplish. He dropped the other skater down the side of his back, giving him a makeshift somersault to contend with. Atem's ice skates chuffed the ice as he landed hard, but didn't fall over. He eased out the extra weight, skating backwards before turning to glare at Kaiba.

"You can't just do things like that unannounced!" He could have been gravely injured. He wasn't ready for that. "I could have broken my neck!"

The brunet smirked. "But you didn't. You have instinct. You knew exactly the right way to twist yourself to get back on your feet." Sort of like a cat, but that absurd whisper went away quickly. "You don't have to worry that you won't know how to land properly anymore. You can." Even if Kaiba had to literally throw him into the thick of it to get him to realize that.

"I wasn't worried!" He had been, but his pride would contest to the fact that he'd never been worried at all. However, what he'd just managed to do was slowly setting in. And he was really damn proud of himself. He had ultimately been scared that Kaiba wouldn't be able to get their dynamics right no matter what. So jumping from Kaiba's throw would be completely out of the question- especially if he couldn't land it right. This was a step to getting right where they wanted to be.

Seto watched as Atem skated away while smirking to himself in thought. The little bastard was really letting his pride engulf him. Whatever. All the better. "Let's go for position one." The one they'd been caught in the night Atem had been dropped for the first time. They hadn't tried it since. The arrogance of Atem now was the only reason he thought it would be a good idea.

"Alright." Position one was one he'd become a little nervous about over the passing days since the fall. Whenever Kaiba brought it up in the office he found ways to get out of it. Now there was nowhere to go, and he found he didn't want to. If he could see that he could do this one, too, there really wouldn't be anything he couldn't do. And he needed that feeling badly.

The two set up on the opposite sides of the rink again. Their sharp focus returned as they begun to skate forward. Again he jumped, Kaiba's hands finding him quickly and lifting him overhead. Their hands connected, Kaiba's hand gripping his inner thigh. Seto smoothed around in three tight circles before giving an extra inch of height to Atem by way of pushing up harder before releasing him to the ice. Atem came down a little too hard, having to pick the ice and ended up wobbling as he skated away quickly, trying to escape from falling. It was something that would have deducted points, but the shorter hadn't fallen over at least.

Once he reached the wall, he skidded to a stop, raising his hand against it, trying to catch his breath. Kaiba wasn't too far behind, adrenaline buzzing through the both of them. "Not bad." The only kind of compliment Kaiba would concede to. Chipping away at Atem's confidence in these matters would only hurt them both in the end. "A little more work and it will be perfect." But he still couldn't let Atem's ego swell him up. There was a reality and a finality to all of this. They both needed to see it together.

Atem looked up, his cheeks red with the cold (at least that's what he'd swear it was). For the first time ever he smiled at Seto. "Ah." He agreed quietly with a nod of his head.

Kaiba found himself unsure. What was Atem smiling about? What was there to smile about when they had so much more to complete? Why at him? There was a heavy feeling in his chest that was getting harder to ignore the more Atem stared up at him. Eventually he broke from the gaze they'd fallen into and turned his head away with a light huff. "We can break now. We've done enough for today." Better to let Atem bask in his success so he'd be ready for more tomorrow morning. It was well past eleven in the P.M. now anyway.

There was a small compliant nod before he followed Seto's lead out of the rink. They both removed their skates, placing back on their boots and heading upstairs. There was something in the air between them now that neither could place. The hate that had been apparent, even with the makeshift heart to heart in the office, seemed to be almost gone. A quiet, gentle amicable blanket was instead there in its place. Atem was entirely too happy, Seto would note. And Atem really was, too blind to even notice Seto staring so blatantly at him.

They parted ways in the foyer, Kaiba going into the kitchen. The chefs welcomed him, letting him know Mokuba had eaten dinner without the two of them. They'd been so busy in the rink the two of them had forgotten all about eating since lunch. He thought it might have been a good idea to let Atem eat something before bed, even though sending him to sleep with a full stomach was an awful idea. But the idea of letting him go hungry, if he was, made him feel worse. So he had them heat up something small.

There was no knock as he opened Atem's door just a crack, hearing him seemingly talking to himself-

"I was able to do it!" That cheery exclamatory tone was not familiar to Seto. He was only used to Atem yelling at him when he was mad. He was a little intrigued. It didn't even bother him at all that this would be the second time he was intruding on Atem's privacy. "Kaiba dropped me." A pause, then quiet laughter. "I don't think he did it to be cruel, this time." This time. What the hell was that supposed to mean? It had been an accident the first time. Was he really not excused from that? The little jerk.

"...Nn. He.. complimented me, I think." Kaiba rolled his eyes. Atem was going on like a school girl with a crush.

The sudden realization of that thought made him go very cold.

"I'm sorry for going over time. How is he?" A pause. "...that's good. I'm glad. ...yes I- ... I think I'm able, yes. ...Would- ...Oh." This part of the conversation was useless to Kaiba. He almost found himself preferring the preening to this. "Do you think- ... Nn. Me either." Something of a let down, Kaiba wasn't sure what about. "I'm okay. Tired, but okay." Ugh. This was killing him. He placed the food down by the door. He couldn't take standing there anymore listening to this crap. He turned to leave before he was caught up again.

"No. Kaiba doesn't like anyone, except for his brother I guess." Ah, a slightly more interesting topic had arrived. "-...No but- ... no but- ...listen. It's not why I'm here. Tonight doesn't change anything. -...I don't- ...My feelings? Come on, Yuugi... I don't- ..."

_Shut up Yuugi! Let him speak! _

"We're rivals. Just because we're doing a program doesn't-... Aah.. don't talk about that! I only told you because- ... It didn't matter. I don't even think he remembers." That night. Kaiba was sure Atem was talking about the night they had sex. There was nothing else. But he had approached Atem about it on the rink the next day, with less indication, but they both knew what he was talking about. Had Atem left that part out when retelling his intimate affairs with his clone? Why?

"-...no, neither will I. We're professionals. There's no room for- ... It's a nice sentiment, but I don't think Kaiba understands- ... Yuugi..." It was really too bad this conversation wasn't going on on one of the house phones. Kaiba really was curious to what was going on all of a sudden. Atem's tone had dropped. Was Yuugi perhaps crying about something? He couldn't imagine Yuugi shedding tears on his behalf, so Atem's? But Atem wasn't crying. So what the hell was there to cry about?

"There's no room for it. There never will be." Yes, Atem. Be smart. Kaiba was almost impressed. But that 'never' was an odd word to use. Had Atem...

"I love you too. Good night."

Shit. The brunet backed away from the door and disappeared into the shadow of the hallway before moving into his office and shutting the door. He didn't need to be caught and explain what he'd been doing. That would make matters awful and they were finally getting along. Atem knew his place, that was all that mattered. His feelings were inconsequential. As Seto sat down at his desk, his mind wandered for just a moment. What drove feelings like that towards the surface? Was it really just success to blame? Kaiba didn't know that there was much to like about himself. But maybe that was just his step-father talking.

The mere thought had his fist clenching on the desk. Feelings. What a stupid thing to be worrying about.

"So stupid..."

And yet, when he closed his eyes, all he could see was that smile.


End file.
